The First Case of Human Brucellosis in Korea

ABSTRACT

Brucellosis is usually transmitted to human by direct contact with infected animals or by ingestion of unpasteurized dairy products. Because of the wide spectrum of its clinical manifestations, brucellosis may appear as other infections and asymptomatic conditions and, therefore, the diagnosis of the disease is frequently missed or delayed. A 41-years-old livestock worker was attended at a local clinic with headache, undulating fever, fatigue, weight loss presentations but the symptoms were not improved in spite of symptomatic therapy of the disease for 6 weeks. Epidemiological background showed that the patient had often ingested unpasteurized cow milk. We confirmed Brucella abortus infection by STA, ELISA and PCR methods. Symptomatic therapy of the disease with appropriate antibiotics (streptomycin, doxicyclin), had favourable outcome. It's the first case report of human brucellosis caused by direct contact of brucella infected milk cow or ingestion of raw milk in Korea, since its original identification in 1939.